Some Idioms

Question

Hello all! I learnt a few idioms and tried to use it but don't know whether I did it correct. Would you mind checking them?

1-)A: What do you think about C?
B: I don't like him, he's a bit selfish.
And then C comes

A: Oh! Speak of the devil!

2-) A: Bla bla bla...
B: Can you put a sock in it. ( Is this idiom informal? Does it look so rude?

3-) A: You really don't want to hang out with those kind of girls. They are a dime a dozen.

4-) A-) What do you think about Messi?

B-) I think he's good compared to Ronaldo but...

C-) Who is 'he'? It's all Greek to me. Can you explain the situation?

5-) Barcelona wins over Real Madrid last 5 matches.

Barcelona fan: Stop beating a dead horse. You will never win.

Or

A guy is banned from EnglishForward and is trying to talk with an admin;

A: Can you please unban me? I'll never do it again.

Admin: Stop beating a dead horse please, there is no point of insisting. It won't happen.

6-) A: Hey. I won the lottery!!!!
B: Really? How much money have you won?
A: Uhm, approximately $500.000
C: Stop pulling B's leg. You did not win anything.

7-) An employee becomes late for work thrice in a row.

Boss: It's the last straw. I'm sorry but we will not work with you anymore.

Child: I want to watch this match so much, mom!

Mom: Why do you want it so much?

Child: This type of matches happens once in a blue moon, I don't want to miss it.

9-) A-) I think we should hire Mr. Black. Would you mind if I hire/hired him?
B-) No, I would not mind! I'm glad we see eye to eye.

10-) Child: Dad, Can we buy this toy please?

Dad: I'm sorry we can't. It cost an arm and a leg.

11-) A: We must fire one, which one would you prefer? C or D?
B: I really don't know. I like both of them. I'd like to sit on the fence and let you do the alone.

12-) And the last idiom is fall between two stools. But I can't think of any examples well. Would you mind giving an example?

Sorry for the mistakes I made. Could you also correct them please if there is any? Thanks.

KrisBlueNZ · Accepted Answer

Hi Nugso.

1.
A: What do you think about C?
B: I don't like him, he's a bit selfish.
And then C comes in to the room
A: Oh! Speak of the devil!

Yes, that's OK. The phrase "Speak of the devil" is usually used jokingly; it doesn't necessarily mean that the person you were speaking of is bad in some way.

2.
A: ~~Bla~~ Blah ~~bla~~ blah ~~bla~~blah...
B: Can you put a sock in it. (Is this idiom informal? Does it look so rude?

Yes, it is informal and rude. You wouldn't say it to your boss!

3.
A: You really don't want to hang out with ~~those~~ kind of girls like those. They are a dime a dozen.

(I've added italics on the phrase that I think you're asking about, from here onwards.)
"those kind of girls" sounds wrong. You can say "that kind of girl", or perhaps "those kinds of girls". I've changed it to "girls like those", or "girls like them".
"A dime a dozen" can be applied to people in a general way like that, but I would be specific about the characteristic(s) that make them so common and valueless. For example, "Amateur guitarists are a dime a dozen".

4.
A: What do you think about Messi?
B: I think he's good compared to Ronaldo but...
C: Who is 'he'? It's all Greek to me. Can you explain the situation?

I can't help with this one, sorry.

5.
Barcelona wins over Real Madrid last 5 matches.
Barcelona fan: Stop beating a dead horse. You will never win.
Or
A guy is banned from EnglishForward and is trying to talk with an admin;
A: Can you please unban me? I'll never do it again.
Admin: Stop beating a dead horse please, there is no point of insisting. It won't happen.

That's OK. "Beating a dead horse" (I know it as "flogging a dead horse") is used with issues that have been argued about for a long time ("hammered out") when there is clearly no point continuing the argument; your examples aren't necessarily strong enough to use that phrase.

6.
A: Hey. I won the lottery!~~!!!~~
B: Really? How much money have you won?
A: ~~Uhm~~ Um, ~~approximately~~ about $500.,000
C: Stop pulling B's leg. You did not win anything.

That's good usage of the phrase, but there are several small errors.
Don't use more than one exclamation mark in a row (it's often seen, but wrong).
The word "Um" is not normally spelt "Uhm".
Most people don't normally use approximately in general speech.
In English, the thousands separator is a comma not a period.

7.
An employee ~~becomes~~ comes in late for work ~~thrice~~ three times in a row.
Boss: It's the last straw. I'm sorry but ~~we will not work with you anymore~~ you're fired.

Good. "Thrice" is still a valid English word but is not often used except in specific contexts.

8.
Child: I want to watch this match so much, mom!
Mom: Why do you want to watch it so much?
Child: This type of matches happens once in a blue moon, ; I don't want to miss it.

That's OK.

9.
A: I think we should hire Mr. Black. Would you mind if I ~~hire~~ hired him?
B: No, I would not mind! I'm glad we see eye to eye.

That's OK, but seeing eye-to-eye normally relates to more complicated or subtle issues than just a question of whether a particular person should be hired or not, which is simply a yes/no decision.

10.
Child: Dad, ~~Can~~ can we buy this toy please?
Dad: I'm sorry, (comma) we can't. It ~~cost~~ costs (or would cost) an arm and a leg.

That's OK.

11.
A: We must fire one of them , ; (semicolon) which one would you prefer? C or D?
B: I really don't know. I like both of them. I'd like to sit on the fence and let you ~~do the alone~~ make the decision by yourself.

That's OK but sitting on the fence is not normally something that people deliberately decide to do; it's normally the result of someone not being able to make up their mind (yet) and is normally pointed out by others. If you ask someone who is sitting on the fence, they will probably say "I haven't decided yet", not "I'm sitting on the fence".

12.
And the last idiom is fall between two stools. But I can't think of any examples well. Would you mind giving an example?

Sorry, no. I've never heard or used that idiom. It sounds like something that happens at the bar when you get too drunk!

Nugso · Answer

KrisBlueNZ4.A: What do you think about Messi?B: I think he's good compared to Ronaldo but...C: Who is 'he'? It's all Greek to me. Can you explain the situation?I can't help with this one, sorry.

I beg your pardon. It was 3 a.m while I was writing this. I was not that clear. Let me give a proper example;

A tries to explain a situation.

B: It's Greek to me. Can you please be more clearer?

KrisBlueNZ7.An employee becomes comes in late for work thrice three times in a row.Boss: It's the last straw. I'm sorry but we will not work with you anymore you're fired.Good. "Thrice" is still a valid English word but is not often used except in specific contexts.

At first, I wanted to write that too. But It looked rude, I thought there was a polite way.( Firing people is itself rude though)

Is the italic part correct? Or should it be "Firing people is in itself rude" or " Firing people is rude in itself"

I'm very grateful to you, thanks!

Enoon · Answer

Rather than try to dovetail with my Kiwi comrade, I'll just do them all. Some will repeat his efforts.

1. The full form is something like "Speak of the Devil, and he will appear", but nobody says anything but the shortened "Speak of the Devil". It stems from an old superstition. It is used when someone shows up coincidentally.

2. "Put a sock in it" is not heard so much in the US, I don't think. "It" is your mouth. It is insulting.

3. "A dime a dozen" means "plentiful and therefore of little value". Its literal meaning is that it costs ten cents for twelve of whatever you're talking about.

4. "It's all Greek to me" means that you don't understand what they're talking about. Your example is a bit off-center. You normally say that about a subject, like finance or chemistry. Incidentally, the Greeks say "I'm hearing a Turkish sermon" for that.

5. The expression goes "flog a dead horse", but you hear "beat". You would flog (whip) a horse to get him to move, and that is why "beat" is wrong. A dead horse will never move, so to flog him is futile. To flog a dead horse is to keep trying after all hope of success is gone.

6. To pull someone's leg is to try to deceive him, usually playfully. I don't think anybody knows where this came from.

7. The last straw is the one that "broke the camel's back". We say that something is the straw that broke the camel's back when it causes calamity when added to all the other factors involved. "The last straw" is usually used when someone loses his temper, the straw being the event that makes the person lose it after having tried for a long time to stay calm in spite of repeated provocations.

8. A blue moon is popularly believed to be a second full moon in a calendar month. You never hear "blue moon", though, except in this expression. There is a fascinating article about the real meaning of "blue moon" in Sky & Telescope ( http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/moon/3304131.html ). A blue moon happens rarely in either case.

9. To see eye-to-eye with someone is to agree completely with him.

10. The combined value of two important body parts is great.

11. To sit on the fence is to take a neutral position, to refuse or fail to make a decision. The image is obvious.

12. To fall between two stools is to try to accomplish two things at the same time and by doing so fail to accomplish either of them. The 2001 movie Pearl Harbor is a good example. They tried to make both a war movie and a romance, and they fell between those two stools.

Nugso · Answer

enoonThe full form is something like "Speak of the Devil, and he will appear", but nobody says anything but the shortened "Speak of the Devil". It stems from an old superstition. It is used when someone shows up coincidentally.

Did not know this!

enoon2. "Put a sock in it" is not heard so much in the US, I don't think. "It" is your mouth. It is insulting.

Do you know of any idiom which bear the same meaning?

enoonIt's all Greek to me" means that you don't understand what they're talking about. Your example is a bit off-center. You normally say that about a subject, like finance or chemistry. Incidentally, the Greeks say "I'm hearing a Turkish sermon" for that.

My apologies again. I was dead tired whilst writing these examples. And yes, I think every country has its own way to say it. In Turkey, It's being French!

enoon10. The combined value of two important body parts is great.

I'm very sorry. I can't understand this one. Would you mind explaining it?

enoon12. To fall between two stools is to try to accomplish two things at the same time and by doing so fail to accomplish either of them. The 2001 movie Pearl Harbor is a good example. They tried to make both a war movie and a romance, and they fell between those two stools

Nice example, thanks!

I, now, wonder this one;

A: Which one would you prefer?

B: I can't decide among them.

Is there any idiom which has the same meaning with B's sentence?

I think both to sit on the fence and to fall between two stools are about decisions, however as KrisBlueNZ said in the sentence of mine(11th) it's not that natural. Hence I'm looking forward to learning a proper idiom that fits there.

I'm indebted to Enoon, thanks!

Enoon · Answer

Do you know of any idiom which bear the same meaning? Shut it.

I'm very sorry. I can't understand this one. Would you mind explaining it? The expression is "cost an arm and a leg", meaning "be extremely expensive". How much money would you want for one of your arms and one of your legs? A lot.

I, now, wonder this one;
A: Which one would you prefer?
B: I can't decide among them.

B would normally say, "I can't make up my mind."

I think both to sit on the fence and to fall between two stools are about decisions, however as KrisBlueNZ said in the sentence of mine(11th) it's not that natural. Hence I'm looking forward to learning a proper idiom that fits there.

To fall between two stools is not about decisions, it is about a kind of failure.

Kris was right, of course. "Polls show that many voters are still sitting on the fence when it comes to the question of election reform."

Nugso · Answer

Many thanks to you, enoon. They're all clear now!

Enoon · Answer

You asked about this: "11. A: We must fire one, which one would you prefer? C or D? B: I really don't know. I like both of them. I'd like to sit on the fence and let you do the alone."

"11. A: We must fire one, which one would you prefer, C or D? B: I really don't know. I like both of them. I'd like to sit on the sidelines and let you decide." We sit on the sidelines when we don't want to get involved in the game just them.

Nugso · Answer

Sitting on the sidelines! Another idiom/saying for me! Thank you again enoon. Is the following sentence correct?

A: Lets play basketball, C.

B: Lets play football, C.

C: Oh, I can't decide. I had better sit on the sidelanes and not play.

Enoon · Answer

Watch the spelling. You have used it correctly literally, but we are talking about idiomatic expressions. Switzerland sat on the sidelines during two world wars. The expression is not about decisions, it is about not participating.

Nugso · Answer

Oh, pity me. It took me 10 minutes to understand it! Thank you, enoon! <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/2.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/2.gif' alt='Emotion: big smile'/>

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